Skip to main content

"Breath In-Breath Out"....(Not just the lyrics to a Bush Song)

Pranayama/Breathing Exercise

Hands in Namaste with thumbs pressing gently in and up
into the space between my eyebrows.  You'll feel your
sinuses drain while doing this. 

Complete a 4-count breath sequence (explained at right),
while holding your hands in this position.  Change hands
to be over your heart and press in/up while repeating
the 4-count Pranayama technique. 

Side-bar: if that mop keeps growing...we'll
have full man-bun come summer.
Wednesday, May 20, 2020 (Part I), 
Like many, I was initially drawn to the visual side of a yoga practice.

"Who are these yoga-bros", I'd ask, "and how do I become cool like them, and learn how to balance on my head while juggling?".

 Like many, being interested in the physical poses/Asanas isn't a bad thing at all; however, there are Eight Limbs of Yoga with the physical poses/Asanas, only being one of those limbs.

You could study each limb of yoga for a lifetime, and only begin to scratch the surface.

My current focus has been on Pranayama/Breath Control (4th limb) and Pratyahara/Focusing Inwardly (5th limb).

My Asana/physical poses do not begin until I have gone through my Pranayama and Pratyahara exercises for the day.  This usually consists of a 4-count breath (4-count inhale/4-count hold of that inhale/4-count exhale/4-count hold of that exhale)...wash...rinse...repeat; at least a sequence of five, or until my breathing starts to regulate, and follow this pattern on its own.

I used to cannon-ball into my poses without any thought or attention paid to any other part of me, other than my physical body.  #badyogi 

 As always, I will breathe in, and breath out (and repeat), before beginning to move.

Time to begin....

Salamba Sirsasana/Tripod

An excellent balance pose for a beginner, or
an advanced Yogi. 

Tripod is usually the most stable inversion.
Wednesday, May 20, 2020 (Part II), 
Pranayama begins and ends my practice.  For a beginner Yogi, and I will always consider myself, 100% a beginner Yogi, Pranayama helps bring me back down to reality.  It helps me control my disobedient mind that wants to run around thinking about all sorts of nonsense.  Some days are better than others, of course and some days my thoughts cooperate, and sometimes they don't.

Through the exploration of your own breathing, and through daily practice, you may begin to realize that your breathing has an enormous effect on the rest of your body, and your mind.  Your breath is the foundation of control.  Control your breath, and you will learn how to control your mind, and your body. 

Until tomorrow...

Namaste


Salamba Sirsasana/Variation with split.  

Again, this tripod is stable, and the only
variation of an inversion where I'm comfortable
moving into additional variation (like a this split), without
the assistance of a wall. 

You're gonna want to try this at your next party
after you've had that 3rd sangria.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Rebuild

Tuesday, July 10, 2018 Woke at my usual 4:45AM this morning for coffee and contemplation. Feeling wonderful this morning, and not terribly sore at all.  There's a bit of stiffness in my back from yesterday's backbends, but that's to be expected. Ready to sweat it out on my mat. Tuesday, July 10, 2018 (Part II) I'm writing this off my mat, already showered up for my day. I love going to my mat.  The physical challenge alone is reward enough, but, while I've said it many times before, the mental and spiritual adjustments that one can make are priceless.  Physically, I already see a difference in my body.  Arms are still re-building their stamina, but the twists and forward bends I incorporate are already helping with digestion and elimination and the general "deflating" of my body and G.I. track (TMI, I'm sure, but this is one of the main physical reasons why I practice). Mentally, I feel prepared for anything that comes my way today and fe...
Post a Comment
Read more

Asana

Monday, March 30, 2020 After no physical practice/Asanas on Friday, and no yoga over the weekend, I notice that it's difficult to stay motivated and dedicated to my practice at times.  Additionally, I ran a solo-10K this weekend (the St. Louis GO! Marathon/Half-Marthon/10K was cancelled, like most public events), and the additional tenderness in my feet, legs, etc. definitely told me not to get on my mat. Monday blues/malaise, essentially.....a "negative mind"... When I'm on my mat, feeling like it's pointless, and that the day ahead is pointless, and that the efforts I'll expend to make things better are pointless, I can go back to the foundations of my life.  First, what do I live for?  I live for God.  That is my attempted mantra every day. It is not for me/you to understand the purpose of anything.  Pulling yourself out of an equation is very liberating in that you're no longer attached to the result. It's 5:27AM as I type this, and it...
Post a Comment
Read more

Be Silent

Tuesday, November 10, 2020 (Part I),  Literal silence is seldom present.  Whether in our homes, our cars, or our offices, noise, and other physical sounds, are almost always being generated from somewhere.  Try a little experiment next time the opportunity arises; turn off all music, all noise making devices, and make your environment as quiet as possible.  Then, close your eyes and sit for 2 minutes.  You’ll, very quickly, begin to hear things you weren't noticing before.  The same is true when you silence your own thoughts. You turn off the “noise” of your own brain, and you begin to notice and hear things that are always there, but that you simply didn’t notice before.   To “turn down the volume” in your own head, physically imagine a hand turning down a volume dial. Then, select an object of meditation (a loved one, a religious object, or something plain and innocuous, like a pineapple), and hold that image in your mind.  Within moments, your ...
Post a Comment
Read more